Menopause Is Not New. And No, We Are Not Living Too Long

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Let’s get something straight: if a human female lives long enough, menopause happens. Full stop. It’s not a modern phenomenon. It’s not a syndrome. It’s not a disease. And it’s definitely not the result of women suddenly living “too long.” That idea needs to be retired—preferably with a gold watch and a firm talking-to.

Fertility Has Always Had an Expiry Date

Aristotle (yes, that Aristotle) wrote in his biological treatise On the Generation of Animals that female fertility ends well before death. He wasn’t exactly a champion of women, but he did observe that our reproductive years come with a natural expiry date—and that we lived on beyond them.

So no, menopause didn’t sneak in with modernity like a side effect of Wi-Fi or oat milk. It’s always been part of the female timeline. What’s changed is not that we go through menopause—it’s how long we live afterward.

Life Span vs Life Expectancy: A Quick Reality Check

Let’s clarify a common mix-up. Lifespan is the biological potential for how long a person can live—think of it as the upper limit. Life expectancy, on the other hand, is a statistical average that factors in things like famine, childbirth, war, and infections.

So yes, the average life expectancy used to be lower, often skewed by infant mortality. But plenty of women lived into their 60s, 70s, 80s and even 90s thousands of years ago—and they weren’t hiding behind the colonnades of ancient temples either.

Let’s Talk Historical Women with Some Serious Staying Power

• Queen Tiye, grandmother of Tutankhamun, lived into her 60s in ancient Egypt and held serious political power.

• Hildegard of Bingen, a 12th-century polymath, composer, and medical writer, lived to age 81.

• Catherine de’ Medici lived into her late 60s—while managing empires and marrying off royal children.

• Even in the harsh world of medieval Europe, Eleanor of Aquitaine made it to 82, outliving two kings and mothering ten children along the way. [featured image of Eleanor of Aquitaine source]

So yes, there were old women in history—and they were busy. They just didn’t get written about as much as the old men. (What’s new?)

The Real “Modern Phenomenon”? The Way We Talk About Menopause

As Dr. Deena Emera said on the Hotflash Inc Podcast, by Ann Marie McQueen:

“Menopause itself isn’t surprising – if you live long enough, you will run out of eggs. What’s unique about humans is that we have such a long post-reproductive life stage. That’s the real mystery we need to solve.”

Exactly. The question isn’t why menopause happens—it’s why we get so much life afterward. That’s rare in the animal kingdom, but in humans? It’s baked in. There’s even a name for it: the Grandmother Hypothesis—the idea that post-reproductive women stick around to help raise the next generations. (Sound familiar?)

So No, Perimenopause and Menopause Are Not Modern “Conditions”

Let’s just call that what it is: a myth. A modern misreading of biology, stats, and history. Perimenopause and menopause are not new, not disorders, and not caused by “overstaying our welcome” on Earth. What’s changed is that we’ve started paying attention—and talking about it.

So the next time someone suggests menopause is some side effect of modern life, hit them with this: “Menopause has always been here. You just haven’t been listening.”

And if you want to really make them think, throw in this zinger from The Wiser Woman blog:

“We are supposed to live this long.”

Because we are. We always have been.